Events 838 – Battle of Anzen: The Byzantine emperor Theophilos suffers a heavy defeat by the Abbasids. 1099 – First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Jerusalem. 1209 – Massacre at Béziers: The first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade. 1298 – Wars… Read More
Introduction John Alexander Cruickshank, VC (born 20 May 1920) is a Scottish banker, former Royal Air Force officer, and a Second World War recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Cruickshank was awarded the VC for… Read More
Introduction Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (01 June 1780 to 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the “moral” (meaning, in modern terms, psychological) and political aspects of war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege (On War), was unfinished at his death. Clausewitz was a realist in many… Read More
Introduction August Otto Rühle von Lilienstern (1780 to 1847) was a Prussian officer, who joined Scharnhorst’s Academy for Officers in the same class as Carl von Clausewitz. Later, they both taught at the Prussian General War School, which would become the Prussian War Academy, and Rühle became Clausewitz’ second successor as its director. Background Rühle… Read More
Introduction Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 to 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B.H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histories that proved influential among strategists. He argued that frontal assault was a strategy that… Read More
Introduction Military theory is the analysis of normative behaviour and trends in military affairs and military history, beyond simply describing events in war. Outline Theories and conceptions of warfare have varied in different places throughout human history. The Chinese Sun Tzu is recognised by scholars to be one of the earliest military theorists. His now-iconic… Read More
Events 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson. 905 – King Berengar I of Italy and a hired Hungarian army defeats the Frankish forces at Verona. King Louis III is captured and blinded for breaking his oath (see 902). 1242 –… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 